What is Wireless Charging?

Simply Said: Wireless charging means that you can charge your phone without having to plug it in.

The science behind Wireless Charging is known as Qi (pronounced ‘Chee’ as in ‘Cheese’) and comes from the Chinese word for natural energy. Qi is the universal standard for wireless charging with devices including smartphones, tablets and smart watches.

Wireless power transfers through electromagnetic induction, which means that with inductive charging, power reaches the device through electromagnetic fields instead of through a traditional cable. You need a transmitter (a wireless charging pad) and a receiver to charge your device. Receivers are either built into the device already, such as with the Samsung S6, or they can be easily installed onto a device, like the iPhone.

Who Discovered Wireless Charging?

Contrary to common belief, Fonesalesman didn’t invent wireless charging. Nikola Tesla was the first to experiment with wireless power transmission at the turn of the 20th Century, and has done more than anyone to bring the idea of wireless charging to the masses. From 1891 he experimented with transmitting power by inductive and capacitive coupling, using spark-excited radio frequency resonant transformers, now called Tesla coils, which generated high AC voltages.

Fast forward to 2008, when radio and microwave technology are at the heart of households across the world. In this year, a small group of manufacturers, including Logitech, Philips, Sanyo and Texas Instruments, teamed up to create the Wireless Power Consortium, or WPC for short. In 2009, the WPC released the first specification of the Qi 1.0, which would become the first official open wireless charging standard for low power devices. Since then big names such as Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, LG, Motorola and HTC have embraced wireless charging technology using Qi.

Is Wireless Charging Worth It?

Of course you can decide for yourself, but we have two words for you: cable-spaghetti (or is it one word? Anyway). How convenient would it be to have one charger for all of your phones, MP3 players, smartwatches and so on, and no longer have to fight with your cables?

The biggest advantage here is that smartphones and chargers from different manufacturers already use the same Qi Standard. Market leaders like Samsung, Nokia, Sony, LG, Motorola and HTC have already adopted the Qi Wireless Charging technology and many of their phones can therefore be charged on any Qi Charging Station.

No more different chargers, no more cable-spaghetti and no empty batteries, those are just some of the advantages of Wireless Charging. And let’s not forget it looks exceptionally cool to just drop your phone on a stone or a wooden coaster… and it starts charging!

But I Still need To Plug In My Wireless Charger, So How Is It Wireless?

There are wireless chargers and Wireless Chargers. Of course, you still need to plug in your KoolPad or WoodPuck to be able to use it, but it’s all about convenience: just Drop your phone and Charge, then Pick Up and Go!

On top of that, there’s the QiStone+; a Completely Wireless Charger (that can also be used as a power bank). With QiStone+ you have a completely wireless experience: not only does it wirelessly charge your phone, but you can also charge your QiStone+ wirelessly as well! Just drop your QiStone+ on another QiStone+, or the KoolPad or WoodPuck and watch it charger. Still not completely ready to say goodbye to wires? you can use the QiStone+ as a mobile battery and plug your phone into it via the USB port, even while wirelessly charging another phone.

Is My Phone Qi Compatible?

We can imagine you are getting very excited about the world of wireless charging now but of course there is one vital question, is my phone Qi compatible? Check out our guide here to find out if your phone has Qi built-in or can be upgraded so it is compatible for wireless charging!

I Have A Case On My Phone. Does It Interfere With My Phone’s Wireless Charging Capabilities?

Using a case with your phone shouldn’t interfere with it’s wireless charging capabilities. In fact, to make your iPhone Wireless Charging compatible, we even recommend that you use a case to hold the receiver in place (and using protection is always good). However, if you are using a case drenched in gemstones, or in the shape of a teddy bear; as much as we encourage personal creativity, we can’t guarantee that these cases will always work. Wireless charging works best with slim, flexible cases so that the transmitter and receiver can connect easily. Still not sure? We regularly test if certain phone cases work with wireless charging, just check out our YouTube channel or contact us if you still have any questions.

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